Volume One, Chapter Three: The Tree of Ten Thousand Demons

“Wait, senior, you still haven’t told me how to use this thing!”

Montage was stunned upon hearing these words. After saying so much, you could at least help me solve the problem before going to sleep!

Suddenly, the nine-faced monster let out a light gasp. “Oh? You have such a dense spiritual essence within you.” There was unconcealed delight in its tone.

Ordinary humans may possess spiritual essence, but so sparse that it can almost be ignored. Only those with exceptional talent, the Awakened, have an abundance of spiritual energy within them. Consuming one such person was worth hundreds of ordinary people. No wonder, after all this time, its avatar had been devouring him and yet he still hadn’t died.

Greed grew ever more apparent in the nine-faced monster’s eyes. “Shadow Assault!” It pointed, and the other faces abandoned their former targets, surging toward Montage. It wanted not only to drain his spiritual power, but also to make him its puppet. That way, it could draw endless spiritual energy—far more rewarding than simply devouring him outright. Better a feast every day than just one.

Nine ghostly faces bit into Montage at different points on his body. He could clearly feel his spiritual essence draining away at an impossible rate.

Just as Montage thought he was about to be sucked dry, in the depths of his mind a sapling began to sprout rapidly. The spiritual energy that had been stolen started to flow back at an extraordinary speed.

Montage saw, deep within his consciousness, nine slender threads, each corresponding to one of the ghostly faces.

“What’s happening? You’re actually absorbing my power!” The nine-faced monster shrieked, attempting to flee as the Tree of Ten Thousand Monsters drew away its strength.

But Montage would not let it escape. The spiritual essence within him bound the ghostly faces like ropes, helping the tree to siphon the monster’s power.

As the tree’s strength grew, Montage felt a warm force surge through his limbs and bones. “What is this?”

With delight, Montage discovered that the power drained from him earlier was returning, stronger than before.

“What kind of monster are you, why are you able to absorb my strength?” The nine-faced monstrosity stared in terror at Montage. How could this be? Moments ago, his prey had been utterly helpless—now he was terrifyingly powerful.

But it had no chance to understand the cause. With a final scream, the monster’s body collapsed to the ground, utterly lifeless.

Before Montage could even celebrate, he felt the spiritual energy that had just returned begin to surge once more toward the Tree of Ten Thousand Monsters.

“I’m getting drained by the wrong thing!” Montage wailed inside. Clearly, the nine-faced monster’s strength was not enough to satisfy the tree. Now, once again, he had become the target.

As his spiritual power drained away, Montage was surprised to discover that the freshly grown tree now bore a single fruit.

He was just about to enter his mind-space to investigate when a sudden rush of wind sounded by his ear.

“Captain, it’s here!” a woman’s voice called.

“It’s over. There’s no escape now,” Montage thought despairingly, staring at the sealed cathedral. The tree had drained all his power; he could barely take two steps, let alone use his spiritual energy. There was no way out.

But if he stayed, how could he explain what had happened here when the others arrived? After all, several people had died.

The footsteps outside grew closer and closer. Montage simply lay down and feigned unconsciousness.

“Everyone, be on your guard. There may be monsters hiding in the shadows,” Yue Shan warned, gesturing for his team to remain alert.

The group entered the cathedral swiftly, covering each other.

“So many bodies?” one of the team exclaimed in horror upon seeing the corpses. Though people disappeared or died whenever the mist appeared, ever since they discovered its patterns, mass casualties had become rare. Yet this time, on their arrival, five bodies already lay before them.

“Captain, come look at this!” another member, Wang Meng, called urgently.

“What is it?” Yue Shan approached.

“Look here!” Wang Meng pointed, face filled with horror, at the corpse of the nine-faced monster.

“Nine Faces!” Yue Shan’s expression changed the moment he saw the body. Faceless monsters like this would grow an extra face for every ten people devoured. This one had nine faces—meaning it had consumed at least a hundred people.

A creature of this level was far beyond their ability to handle. Yet here it lay, inexplicably dead.

“There are no signs of battle here, and ‘Nine Faces’ bears no apparent wounds. The killer’s strength must have vastly surpassed its own,” Yue Shan said gravely after examining the corpse.

“But isn’t it good for us that such a powerful monster is dead? Captain, why don’t you seem happy?” Sun Yueyue asked, puzzled.

“Killing a monster is worth celebrating, but the unknown is more terrifying still. With Haicheng’s current defenses, I fear we can’t cope,” Yue Shan sighed, turning to his team.

From over thirty, only eight of them remained. Without new blood, Haicheng’s defense force would soon be wiped out.

“Check the area, bring the victims’ bodies back. Tomorrow, have the Public Security Bureau issue a bulletin seeking their families,” Yue Shan instructed wearily.

“Yes, Captain!” The team quickly set about gathering the bodies.

“Wait, this one’s alive!” Wang Meng exclaimed with delight, feeling a pulse as he touched Montage’s arm.

“There’s still a survivor?” Yue Shan’s eyes lit up and he hurried over.

Just then—clatter—a pebble tumbled, startlingly loud in the silent night.

“Who’s there!” Yue Shan sprang instantly toward the noise, like a hunting leopard. The others drew their weapons, scanning the shadows.

A faint rustle—something was crawling, its limbs scraping the ground in a way that made everyone’s skin crawl.

“Stay alert, something’s coming!” Yue Shan shouted as he reached the source of the noise.

His expression changed completely at what he saw: a spider the size of a water buffalo, its scarlet compound eyes fixed upon him.